ReliefWeb

OCHA/GVA 99/0196
Cuba - Hurricane Irene
OCHA - Situation Report No.4
28 October 1999

1. Hurricane Irene crossed Cuba on 14 October 1999, with torrential rains and winds up to 120 km per hour, causing flooding along the western coast of the country. The most affected provinces were Havana, Cienfuegos, Isla de la Juventud, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Villa Clara and Matanzas.

2. According to the UN Resident Coordinator in Havana, latest figures are as follows:

(*) Of the 228,067 persons evacuated, 121,817 were rural boarding school students. 3. The agriculture sector sustained also serious damage. A complete evaluation of the damage is not possible yet, since thousands of hectares of cultivated land are still under water. Preliminary reports indicate a total loss of thousands of hectares planted with rice, plantains, sugar cane, tobacco coffee and edible roots.

National response

4. Approximately 58,000 persons have participated in the relief operations. It is estimated that expenditures incurred in the prevention and early relief phase amount to some CUP 53 million, (approximately USD 2.5 million).

International response

5. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a preliminary appeal seeking CHF 1,333,000 (approximately USD 877,900) in cash, kind and services to assist some 5,000 families accommodated in shelters, for a period of six weeks.

6. This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies are also available on the OCHA Internet Website at: http://www.reliefweb.int

Telephone Number: +41-22-917-1234
In case of Emergency only: +41-22-917-2010

Desk Officers: Mr. Erik Haegglund, Direct Tel. + 41-22-917-2299
And Mr. Carlos Monteiro-Pereira, direct tel: +41-22-917-1383

Contact person for media: Ms. Elena Ponomareva, direct tel:+41-22-917 2336

Telex: 414242 OCHA CH
Fax: +41-22-917-0023
E-mail: ochagva@un.org